The newscast indicated that the bus was unlicensed. What effect will that have on any lawsuits?

Richard

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Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, a good Reisling in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming: WOO HOO, what a ride

Authorities say De La Torre continue to run his unsafe fleet of buses under a new name, Iguana, after they ordered Angel Tours to cease operation in June.

"Angel Tours and Iguana currently operate vehicles in a mechanically unsafe operating condition which, if operated, would pose an imminent hazard to the public," the orders state.

CNN tried to reach Angel Tours, but its voicemail was full on Sunday and not accepting messages. An e-mail to De La Torre was not immediately answered.

The action follows Friday's bus crash, in which the driver of the bus apparently lost control on northbound U.S. 75 in northwest Texas, smashing into a guardrail before rolling on its side and sliding into a gully. The accident happened near the Texas-Oklahoma state line.Video Watch as the fire chief describes the crash scene »

Twelve people were declared dead at the scene, and five others died at hospitals, officials said. Police estimated that, in addition to the deaths, 33 to 39 of the 54 passengers and lone driver suffered mild to serious injuries. iReport.com: Were you there? Send photos, video

On Friday, NTSB member Debbie Hersman told reporters that the bus' right front tire had been retreaded, in violation of safety rules. The blown tire was discovered near the crash site. It was the only one of the tires that was recapped, and the only one whose tread separated, she said. Asked what caused the Goodyear tire to lose its air, she said, "We don't know the answer to that question; that's why we're here."Video Watch what investigators are learning about the accident »

The orders say that federal authorities served De La Torre with a similar order to cease operations on June 23 after Angel Tours received an "unsatisfactory" safety rating during a compliance review. The Motor Carrier Safety Administration denied his request for an upgraded safety rating after Angel Tours failed to provide evidence it had improved the safety conditions of its fleet.

For its part, Iguana "constitutes a mere continuity of Angel Tours' operations," the document say. De La Torre registered Iguana on June 27 -- just four days after Angel Tours was ordered to shut down.

According to the documents, the companies committed 17 safety violations, including:

-- Using regrooved, recapped or retreaded tires on the front steering axle of buses;

-- Operating buses that were not periodically inspected;

-- Using drivers before the company received results from pre-employment drug tests;advertisement

-- Failing to investigate the driving records and backgrounds of drivers.

Before the companies can be considered for returning to operation, they would have to explain the reason for noncompliance and develop a detailed plan of action for remedying the list of violations.

I still say Angel De La Torre should be arrested and charged with 17 counts of 1st degree murder. Especially after reading that he simply formed a new company when the other one was ordered shut down. He will probably just go back to Mexico and nothing will ever be done to him. Jack

He probably is already in Mexico. What a rat he is. It is so sad that someone takes short cuts and the results are deadly. It will just make the honest operators look bad. The pain he has caused the families is unbelievable.

I still say Angel De La Torre should be arrested and charged with 17 counts of 1st degree murder. Especially after reading that he simply formed a new company when the other one was ordered shut down. He will probably just go back to Mexico and nothing will ever be done to him. Jack

He probably is already in Mexico. What a rat he is. It is so sad that someone takes short cuts and the results are deadly. It will just make the honest operators look bad. The pain he has caused the families is unbelievable.

Paul

I agree he should be charged with each and every death! And also each injury as well! It's probably just as well I'm not a prosecutor in TX as I would have him & all his employees and associates in jail on 54 conspiracy to commit murder charges on top of the actual deaths!

It shows a blatant disrespect for life and law to run a recap on the steer axle! Not only is it illegal, but just plain ignorant! I won't even allow re-cap's on the tag's or drives of my buses ! (and I have some pretty nice ones lined up outside the shop "free to anyone who takes them" to prove it!). I have bought buses that had recaps on 'm and they are removed before the coach ever hits the road under our name! FWIW! BK

alright already is there something going on we don't know about.Here is yet another bus wreck,7pm pt ,a las vegas casino employee bus returning to las vegas from state line .The bus driver swerved for some undetermined reason hit the median and over turned in a ditch .some passengers were transported to UMC medical center treated and released.didn't catch if any one was criticaly hurt .The bus I believe was a MCI which was totaled,amazing that no one had died. posted speed is 70 mph which means the flow of traffic was traveling @80mph or85mph.thats it from fabulous LOST WAGES,NEVADA

alright already is there something going on we don't know about.Here is yet another bus wreck,7pm pt ,a las vegas casino employee bus returning to las vegas from state line .The bus driver swerved for some undetermined reason hit the median and over turned in a ditch .some passengers were transported to UMC medical center treated and released.didn't catch if any one was criticaly hurt .The bus I believe was a MCI which was totaled,amazing that no one had died. posted speed is 70 mph which means the flow of traffic was traveling @80mph or85mph.thats it from fabulous LOST WAGES,NEVADA

VAN

VAN,Unfortunately there is something going on! It's BAD NEWS SELLS & good news swells! Which is why the only news we get from the media stinks! It is very unfortunate that these accidents happen, but truth of the matter is there are many, many car accidents daily that hurt and kill people that don't make national headlines simply because they "aren't as dramatic as a whole bus load of injured people". Never mind that there are twice to three times as many people killed on the same day in car wrecks, it just doesn't make as good of headline!.

Busted Knuckle....you are so right!News media make their income via whatever gets customer attention. Bus accidents with fatality are far fewer than auto accidents, so we already are uses to that...very common as we already known. In other words, they don't have room for all the goods reports about buses moving mass of peoples to see the world or whatever.

However, all kinds of transportation's vehicle accidents can helps to limit the unnecessary cause of accident via screen out the bad careless owners and drivers via stronger enforcement of its laws.

I would like to offer the tallest tree, a shortest rope and a largest public square in the state of Texas to handle this operator.AJ

I agree to that! This nation are too soft on criminal....so they will do it again until the old law is enforced the death system. Then you will see must more careful owners and drivers as well old law to enforce the immigrants to learn English and only speak English anyone in our nation soil with American citizenship paper.

If this bus owner and driver are American citizen and did ran back to foreign country, US will have search warrant to be arrested and put in trial. But so many illegal immigrants already here...we will be facing this kind of problem everyday.